Remember Me?
by whitelilies
Summary: Is it possible to know someone yet not know them? Cagalli and Shinn keep meeting yet they don't seem to remember the other. Will this stop? CxS
1. The beginning of everything

Disclaimer: Don't own Gundam Seed/ Destiny

**A/N**- Dedicated for all those Shinn.Cagalli fans out here :)

**Warnings:** The rating of 'teen' is there for a reason. There _maybe_ cussing and some violence.

* * *

* * *

"It's a girl Mrs. Hibiki."

A smile broke out on the brunette's pale tired face. Hours of labour finally paid off in a form of a crying baby.

"C-can…I…see her?" She replied weakly. The women with blue hair nodded.

"Yes, but don't wear yourself out, alright? You're really weak right now."

The brunette's rosy lips curved again. "Of…course. But my dearest friend is here…if I do, right?" The doctor smiled,

"Usually."

The doctor brought the girl to her mother's open arms. Two lips curved, "She's really small huh?"

"All babies are, Via."

The doctor replied as she removed her gloves. Her friend could be such an airhead at times.

The other woman pressed her lips together, "But she seems really small. I hope she won't be small in frame while growing up. Then she'd get bullied, Natarle!"

It hadn't even been half an hour since the baby was brought into the world yet Via already started mothering. Natarle sighed; her friend was someone who could be a such a worrywart at times. Then again, the older woman's habit did help her a lot through out the time she studied in medical school.

"Via, I'm sure she'll be fine. You have years to worry about that. Right now, just think of a name."

"I suppose you're right, as usual."

The brunette grinned. Even though both women were the same age, Natarle always seemed to be the older one. When they were younger, she would make sure Via stayed out of trouble. Their childhood was rather monotone since one of them _always_ followed the rules. Hardly any time for adventure. But there were those rare times when Via would presuade her into doing something and they would never get caught.

Natarle nodded at the statement, "You seem to have a lot more energy now. Do you want to wait for him or-"

"**No**. He doesn't deserve this child. You didn't call him or anything…right?" A flicker of fear shot through Via Hibiki's eyes. The divorce papers finally reached her idiotic husband. He didn't have the right to see their - her daughter. Via's anxiety came to an end when Natarle lightly hit her on the head.

"Of course. I felt like ruining your happiness." She replied sarcastically. Even if love wasn't her platform, Natarle knew the pain it caused. That was why she didn't bother to date anyone after seeing what happened to Via and Ulen.

Via chuckled, "I should have seen that coming."

"Yes, yes you should have." As the blue haired female walked away to discard her used gloves, the brunette's thoughts drifted to her husband.

_That moron wanted to kill his daughter, thinking one child was enough._

_'Abort the thing! We don't want it!' The blonde had told her as he left the house for the office._

_'**I** want it!' She had yelled at his retreating back._

Via shook her head when Natarle spoke, "What are you going to name her?"

"Hmm…I'm thinking of Cagalli." Natarle closed an eye in thought,

"I don't know anyone else with that name…it's original."

Via smiled at the comment, "So be it."

* * *

"It's a boy, Mrs. Asuka." 

Karen slumped back into the soft bed, thanking God for the safe delivery. They weren't sure about this one, as the doctors told them he was too weak to survive. But her son sure showed them!

She raised her head a little to look at the delivering doctor.

"Thank you Ms. Ramius for taking my yelling…" Karen regretted verbally abusing the nice woman for almost three hours.

Murrue laughed, "No, it should be me thanking you! For not throwing anything at me…" She shuddered slightly at her thoughts. The patients weren't kind this year. But no stitches for her today!

"Could I hold him?" Murrue widened her eyes a bit,

"Oh! I almost forgot!" She took the child to his mother,

"Did you want me to call Mr. Asuka in?"

"If it wouldn't be any trouble…" Karen was sure Ken would be happy to see a boy. Even if he didn't say anything about the gender for the past nine months, she caught the longing look thrown towards a father and son during a walk through the park.

Murrue waved a hand, "Of course not."

Karen smiled down at her child, "Welcome to our world little one. I'm going to make sure you stay happy."

When she heard footsteps, Karen looked up and found her husband at the foot of the bed. He put on a flashing smile, "Thank you honey."

She closed her eyes and smiled. The way the ravan haired man looked at the baby confirmed her thoughts. She was sure this one would become an athelete. Ken liked to play many sports.

He came up to the side of the bed, "Are you feeling alright though? I mean you did just give birth…"

"I'm fine! Really!" After smilng, he held out his arms, wanting to hold the child. But she didn't want to give him up. It was a different kind of protectivness.

"So…what do we call him?" The brunette asked, patting the boy's bald head. Ken followed her gesture, a little disappointed he couldn't hold him.

"How about Ken jr.?"

"No."

"Alan?"

"No."

"Thomas?"

"No."

"Hayate?"

"No…are you still watching Pretear?" Karen gave her husband a wierd look before looking back down at their son.

Ken blushed, "Uhhh…how about Micale?"

"No."

"What kind of name do you want?"

"Well, I was thinking along the lines of Tsubak or maybe…Shinn."

"Uhh…I think I like Shinn better."

The male kissed her forehead and they both gazed down at their crying newborn. Their pride and joy.

* * *

Natarle looked down at the young girl in her arms, "You know, now you make me want a child…Why don't you open your eyes? I smacked you but all you did was cry..." 

"You really want to start a family?"

Natarle jumped slightly and turned around quickly. "La Flaga!"

The said man closed his eyes and grinned real big, "Mwu is fine, Natarle." The nurse patted down his perfect blonde hair as he made his way through the deserted hallway towards the two.

"Natarle is **not** fine La Flaga." She snapped at him. The woman didn't understand why is was Mwu had a habit of calling her by her first name. She hated that. No one called her that except for Murrue and Via but she knew those two for awhile. Mwu was someone she met only two months ago.

He looked down and sighed, "You need to relax." He now looked at her, "But do you seriously want to start a family?"

Natarle thought for a while before answering, "Yes, I really do."

Why she was telling him was unknown. But she wanted someone to give her love and wisdom to. Someone to continue her family's name.

"But would your schedule allow it?"

"You know, you're being such a hypocrite. You and Murrue want to start one as well right?"

Mwu stumbled upon hearing her words, "H-how did you know?"

He was sure no one knew about the proposal made to Murrue. And it was just two weeks ago he decieded to take the next step up. Did news get around that fast around this place?

Natarle rolled her eyes, "Murrue and I work together, remember? Which means she would tell me things, La Flaga."

"Right…right…"

"So how would **your** schedule's allow it? Murrue's a full time doctor and you work here as a nurse."

He flapped his hand, "We'll make it work…somehow."

She made a face at him before returning her gaze back to the baby.

"Natarle! Mwu!" Both adults looked to their right after hearing their names. They found Murrue striding over to them with a bundle in her hands. Her smile was wide and her steps were rushed, as a little girl's would be if she had a secret to tell.

"Murrue."

"Yo." Mwu looked at the bundle and then at Murrue,

"Not yours right?" The brunette would have hit him on the head had she not been holding the boy. That was the stupidest thing which came out of his mouth.

"No, I'm on my way to the nursery right now. I'm guessing you're going there too, Natarle?" She glanced at the bundle in her hands. Natarle nodded.

"What's his name?"

"**Her** name is Cagalli Yula Hibiki." Murrue chuckled nervously while Mwu held back a laugh.

"I hope she doesn't remember this…"

"Yeah, that would be bad…considering how she turns out, that is." Mwu put in. She could be an insecure girl or even a tough little lady who took no for an answer. He didn't know the mother's or the father's personality but it was fun to guess what the kids would be like when they were older.

"What's this one's name?" Nartale asked, looking down at the white bundle held by her co-worker.

"Shinn Asuka." The brunette's tone of voice contained a hint of pride and the blonde chuckled.

"You know, you two should be going to the nursery now, everyone here is throwing us dirty looks." He observed.

Murrue looked around the waiting room and sure enough, some people were glaring at her, as though saying, "You shouldn't be socializing when there are people here that need care!"

They all exchanged nods and left to their destinations.

* * *

The two women found two empty cribs in the far corner of the room. 

After depositing the babies, they left to for their duties.

Not long after they left, Shinn stirred in his sleep as did Cagalli.

The first thing Shinn saw in his life were auburn eyes.

_

* * *

* * *

_

**A/N- **Yes, I know that babies' eye colours are pinkish when they are born but I thought I could bend realityness of it…Oh and by the way, I'm trying to centre my fics around those characters that you don't see much of.

Eg. Fllay, Shani, Orga, etc. So please don't count on seeing Kira, Lacus, Dearka, Miriallia, Yzak, etc.


	2. Five years later

**Disclaimer**: Don't own Gundam Seed/Destiny

**A/N**- A thanks to all of you supporting this fic!

* * *

* * *

"Cagalli, stay here okay? Don't move, I'll be right back. I need to go find Natarle. Be right back." Via said to her five year old daughter, enhancing the first part of the sentence. The brunette knew the little one developed an unhealty curiousity. A friend stated she'd grow out of it but Via wasn't sure.

"O-K!" Little Cagalli saluted her mother. When Via left, the blonde child hauled herself up on one of the plush chairs in the waiting room.

She looked around the room. There weren't a lot of people here today, unlike last week. Last week was what Mwu-chan called a 'living hell.' There were a lot of people screaming and crying.

She smiled, 'That must mean that there aren't that many sick people anymore!' She then threw her little arms in the air and screamed out a "Yay!" Which caught a little attention from people nearby, some smiled at the cute kid and some frowned.

She blushed and quickly looked at the floor. She didn't like it when people starred at her.

* * *

Cagalli was bored. B-O-A-R-D, bored! Was that how you spell it? Oh well.

She turned herself on the seat so her stomach was on the seat. Then she slid off and left the waiting room. Her mother didn't make her promise, so it meant that she was free to explore!

Unknown to her, a pair of eyes were watching her leave.

"I want a child." A man, whose eyelids were shut, snapped them open. He turned his head to the brunette beside him.

"Tailia, we already talked about this."

"I _want_ one."

"You know, you sound like a spoiled child. A child is too much work. Didn't you hear the mother of that one say, 'Don't move?'" Tailia looked at him.

"Gil, why didn't you say anything!"

"Because it's not our problem. Do you really want a child that won't listen to you?"

Tailia frowned at the black haired man. Did he judge the future with one little situation? That would be the man's downfall one day. "I will give them lots of love so they will listen to me. I. Want. A. Child."

He gave up. "Fine, alright, we'll have one. But don't blame me when you get tired of it." Tailia merely smiled in triumph but as her husband stated, she felt a little childish.

* * *

'Those flowers are pretty.' Shinn looked through the window. No one would miss him if he went out right? His dad was preoccupied with his mom because apparently he was about to get a 'sibling.'

He didn't know what that was but he hoped whatever it was, it would be fun.

So, little Shinn wondered into the garden of the hospital.

As soon as he got there, he bent over a rose and was about to pick it when a voice stopped him.

"Careful." Shinn would have jumped had he been a girl, but since he wasn't; he merely looked behind his shoulder. He saw a little boy around his age with green hair. He was holding a book in one hand while another was stuffed in his jean pocket.

Shinn blinked a couple of times before turning away.

"Why?" The other boy smiled a bit and tilted his head to the side.

"You were reaching for a rose. Even the most beautiful one has a bad side." The boy reached and plucked it carefully. He handed it to Shinn. "What's your name?"

Shinn played with the dirt with his left shoe. He had his hands clasped together behind his back and looked down. "Shinn. What's yours?"

"My name is Orga. Pleased to meet you." He held out his free hand and Shinn took it cautiously.

Orga closed his eyes and smiled, 'What a shy boy.'

* * *

"Orga-chan!" Orga looked up from his book. He and Shinn were sitting on a bench near the flowers.

"Cagalli-chan. When did you arrive?"

"Umm…" She scrunched her face up and thought. Finally she held up all her fingers, "More minutes than this. I was B-O-A-R-D!" She said in an innocent voice. Orga chuckled,

"B-O-R-E-D." Cagalli tilted her head,

"?"

"That's how you spell bored."

"Ohhhh…Orga-chan, you're so smart! And you are only one year bigger than me! I hope I will be as smart as you." Cagalli's eyes held admiration for the six year old.

"Well, you are starting kindergarten soon, so I'm sure you'll learn new things."

The six year old boy turned to the one beside him. "What about you Shinn?" Shinn, who had been watching Cagalli's eyes the entire time, jerked his head towards his new friend. School must be a great place if people like Orga went there, she thought.

"I…I'm going to be in kindergarten in Sempemba…" He mumbled. Cagalli's eyes widen in happiness.

"Me too! What school are you going to?"

"…S.H. Academy." Cagalli was disappointed, "Oh, I am going to St. Hawk's elementary." Shinn was a little disappointed too.

* * *

Via kicked herself mentally. How could she forgot to make Cagalli promise that she would stay?

All she did was go look for Natarle and Cagalli went missing.

Natarle could sense the women's frustration. "Why don't we go check the garden? Orga is over there." Via stopped and made a 180 degree turn.

"Why didn't I think of that?" Natarle smirked but made no comment.

* * *

"Daddy, are we meeting new people today? I like meeting people." Six year old Fllay Allster asked her dad, George. The man smiled down at her.

"Daddy's going to be meeting new people, not you, ok sweetie?"

"Then what will I do?"

Surely he wasn't going to make her sit in the waiting room? It smelled like sad people there. It wasn't a place for the happy Fllay Allster.

"Why don't you go find some other kids to play with?" Fllay smiled at the choice and left her dad's hand.

"Don't go to far Fllay!" He semi-yelled at his young daughter.

George looked ahead and found the two out of the three people he was looking for. They were up ahead, talking to each other. It didn't seem as though it was serious so him interuppting would be alright.

"Ms. Murrue, Mr. Mwu." The two looked over at him and widened their eyes in surprise.

* * *

In less than five minutes, Fllay wondered over to the garden. This place seemed a lot happier than inside anyway and that was how she liked it. It was one of the good things about going to a hospital.

She noticed three kids playing and decided she wanted to play with them.

Fllay walked up to the one with green hair, "Hi. My name is Fllay, may I play with you?"

"Um…ok, my name is Orga."

Cagalli stopped running when she saw the girl and grabbed Shinn by the hand, running over to the girl.

"HI! My name is Cagalli! This is Shinn! We're both five years old! We're going to start school soon! This is Orga and if he goes to school, then it's a cool place!" Shinn merely mumbled a hi.

Fllay blinked twice. "Hello Cagalli-chan, Shinn-chan. My name is Fllay!"

"Want to play with us, Fllay-chan?" The blonde child inquired and the redhead clapped her hands.

"Yes!"

So the game of hide-and-seek commenced.

* * *

Via finally found her daughter in the garden, sleeping on a bench with three other children. Natarle chuckled, "Well, looks like someone tired herself out."

"Yes…but who are the other two children?" The brunette wondered aloud. Her purple eyes were transfixed on the rich mass of red. She didn't know anyone with that hair colour.

"I do believe that is Allster's daughter."

Natarle replied but didn't give a full answer. She didn't know who the other boy was. Maybe a patient's kid or something but they should have been a bit more responsible with him.

"Oh…I see."

They walked over quietly to the sleeping children and picked up Orga and Cagalli. Natarle smiled at her adopted son. It was a bit of a shock to see him sleeping in public. For someone so young, the boy already started thinking about enemies and the like.

'I'm glad you're my son.'

Via's voice snapped her back to reality. "Natarle, what do we do with these two?"

"I don't think George would be too happy if we left his daughter out here. Let's stay with them?"

Via didn't voice her surprise at the reply. Her friend would never say something like that but she agreed.

"Alright, I'd be worried if I was their mother."

So Natarle and Via took a seat. Via placed Cagalli and Shinn's head on her lap while Natarle had Fllay and Orga.

Subconsciously, Cagalli reached over and took Shinn's hand and mumbled:

"We'll be together forever."

* * *


	3. Six years later part 1

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Gundam SEED/Destiny

* * *

* * *

"LET'S GO EAGLES!" Fllay Allster cheered with her mini-squad. There was a soccer match against the Academy's Bulls and so far, the Eagles were winning.

Orga looked at the girl and wondered how she could be so loud. He searched the soccer grounds and found a quiet spot under a tree not so far away. Picking up his recent book, he went there.

Orga settled onto the grass and started to read when,

"Oi!" He sighed and put down his book. Shani Oakley came running up to him, his black coat flying behind him.

"Orga! Where the heck have you been?"

Orga sighed again, "Shani-kun, why don't you take off your head phones, then we'll talk." Shani looked a little confused for a second and took off his beautiful headphones.

"What'd you say? I couldn't hear you cuz I had my phone's on. My brother got it for me! Aren't they cool?" Shani showed Orga his new black and sleek looking headphones. He didn't miss the twinkle in Shani's eyes as he spoke about them. But Orga understood. Music to Shani was like knowledge to him.

"COME ON EAGLES! DEFENSE!" Orga cringed and Shani looked over to the redhead cheerleader.

"Orga, how do girls scream so loud?" He was awfully confused.

"Hmmm…I don't know Shani-kun. Why don't you ask Fllay-chan when she finishes?"

As Orga's brown eyes settled on the first line of his book, he expected Shani to listen to his wild music, not him yelling.

"EEEEEWWWWW! Ask a **girl**? Are you okay?"

Orga didn't see what was so bad with girls. He had many friends that were girls, like Fllay and Cagalli for example. "What's wrong with girls, Shani-kun?" Shani looked as though Orga said he was going to kill him.

"What WRONG with girls? They have cooties!"

"…" Orga watched as Shani ranted on,

"-and they make guys turn like them! Like just yesterday, I saw a guy…**kissing** another guy!...Oh no! Orga! You're becoming like them!" Orga's eyes turned into little dots, what?

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well, first off, you're calling me Shani-_kun_. Second, you're so heckin' polite! _Ladies first, Mrs. Lee._" Orga snickered at Shani's impression of him; Shani was pretending to open a door and then curtsied.

"First of all, guys **bow**, not curtsey and second, would you rather have me call you Shani-**chan**?" Shani cringed. "Relax Shani-kun. I only call you that because I respect you and you are my friend."

Orga went back to his book and Shani put on his headphones again. "Oh, and" Orga looked up and the other boy looked at him. "Girls do not have cooties."

* * *

Cagalli walked along the school grounds with two water bottles in hand. She turned her head in one direction then the other, hoping to find the person she was looking for.

"Cagalli!" She stopped mid-step and twisted her upper body around. Her mouth widened into a smile.

"Nicol!" She watched as her best friend ran up to her. An hour before the game started, Nicol called her to come because he wanted to show her his new haircut. Green hair didn't pass his ears anymore.

"Cagalli, I've been looking everywhere for you."

"Haha, sorry but I went to get water for us. And nice haircut." She rubbed her neck while holding the two bottles in her other hand.

"Mahh…thank you Cagalli! You're the best!" She smiled and gave him on of the bottles. The blonde watched as the boy drank half the bottle in one gulp.

"Have you seen Orga around?" Withdrawing the bottle from his mouth, Nicol answered.

"Sorry, but I haven't. I have been with the team ever since this morning."

Cagalli frowned, "Are they making you do their work again?" By this she meant if they were making her small friend carry the equipment around and other things. She didn't like it when bigger people made those smaller than them to do their dirty work. It irked her in a way nothing else did.

"…"

Nicol knew it was best not to answer. Despite being a ten year old girl, Cagalli could pack quite a punch. Even if they were friends since kindergarden, she wouldn't give him special treatment. He scanned the ground, looking for a distraction and finally found one.

"Fllay-chan!" He waved to a girl wearing a purple tank top and gold skirt. She looked over to them after purchasing a soft drink. With a large smile intact, the red head ran towards her friends.

"CAGALLI! NICOL-KUN!" Cagalli's frown turned upside down as soon as she saw the girl running towards them.

"Fllay! How did the cheerleading thing go?"

Fllay put her pop down on the grass and clapped her hands. "It's going great! You should join too!" Cagalli shook her head. It was a lot more fun to be in the game than watch from the sidelines.

"Sorry Fllay, it's not my thing. I rather play sports then cheer, no offence."

Fllay pouted, "You should give it a try." The blonde decided to change the subject.

"Have you seen Orga?"

"Yup! He went under a tree to read his book! Let's go talk to him since I'm on a break."

Cagalli nodded and turned to Nicol. "Let's go."

"B-but I need to go to the team…" Cagalli raised an eyebrow and grabbed Nicol's collar and dragged him away from the sidelines.

* * *

"Ahh!" Orga looked up to Shani and followed his gaze to Fllay, Cagalli, and Nicol who were walking up to them. Well, in Nicol's case, being dragged.

"ORGA! SHANI!" Shani lunged behind Orga, in hopes of the older boy being big enough to hide him.

Orga smiled at his friends, event though Shani, Orga, and Fllay were a year older, they were still good friends. With the exception of Shani and Fllay, of course.

Cagalli plopped beside Orga and let Nicol's collar go. Nicol sat there, rubbing his neck, putting in a 'yes' now and then while the three talked.

Cagalli looked behind Orga and found Shani hiding from Fllay. Too bad Fllay didn't get the message. She crawled over to Shani and tried to talk but all that was on Shani's mind was 'Get away from the girl or you'll be infected.' Cagalli watched in amusement as Shani ran away from her and she chased after him. Orga rolled his eyes and went back to his book while Nicol watched the game.

* * *

Shinn hit the ground hard. An Eagle player tackled him and it hurt.

His coach let him sit off the rest of the game, since there was only twenty minutes left. After the man checked over for injuries, Shinn decided to explore this new place. He didn't like sitting down and not doing anything.

Since he wasn't watching where he was going, he ran into a boy with green hair, who was running very fast.

"Umph!" They both fell down.

"I'm sorry, are you alright?" The other boy glared at him,

"What do you think? I'm about to get cooties and here **you **are knocking people down!"

"…Cooties?"

What were those?

"SHANI-KUN! WAIT FOR ME!" Shani's eyebrow twitched and he ran off again. Shinn watched as a girl with dark red hair - whom he recognized as a cheerleader - ran after him.

"Hey, are you alright?" Shinn looked to see a hand extended out to him. He looked up to the person's face and didn't see much…except for blonde hair…and very familiar eyes.

* * *

* * *


	4. Six years later part II

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Gundam Seed or Destiny.

* * *

* * *

Shinn accepted the hand that was offered to him.

The first thing he said to her was, "I like your eyes. Auburn is my favourite colour." He could tell she wasn't expecting that comment by the way she raised her eyebrows. Remembering his manners, Shinn added a thanks.

"Umm…thanks and you're welcome?" She said after getting over his comment. "Are you one of the Academy's players?" He nodded and guessed that she could probably tell from his red and white uniform and black cleats.

"Yes, I am. Do you go to St. Hawks?" She nodded this time and realized he didn't know her name. "What's your name?"

"I'm Cagalli, you?"

Shinn closed his eyes, "I've heard that name before…"

Cagalli shook her head, "Nope, you couldn't have, my mommy says that no one has the same name as me and Natarle-san says that too. Oh and I didn't get your name."

"I'm Shinn Asuka."

The two children stared at each other for a while before Shani interrupted them. He looked like he had run a few miles…which he probably did to escape Fllay.

_Huff. Huff._

"Man, I didn't know girls could run so fast!" Cagalli broke the staring contest, she didn't know anyone with red for an eye colour, and looked at the older boy. His left head phone was on his shoulder while the other one was on his ear. She could also see dark spots on his yellow t-shirt, which Cagalli assumed to be sweat.

"You better believe it Shani, we girls can run very fast." Shani tilted his head, "We? Aren't you a boy?" He saw Cagalli's eyebrow twitch and the next thing he knew, Shani was on his back, starring at puffy white clouds.

Ten year old Cagalli ran off and Shinn decided to follow after about two minutes.

Orga and Nicol's faces came into view from either side.

"Cagalli-chan is a girl by the way." Orga said and Nicol nodded. Shani blinked.

"No way."

* * *

Cagalli's run slowed down to a walk. "Stupid Shani, I knew he didn't use his eyes, but what an idiot!" She mumbled. She heard footsteps and turned around to see Shinn coming up to her.

"You really do run fast." The blonde frowned.

"Did you think that I was a boy too?"

He shook his head, "Of course not. It was obvious that you are a girl." He added the last part to be nice and hoped that she didn't notice it.

Luckily she didn't.

"Thank you Shinn." She gave him a weak smile. He rubbed his neck.

"Do you want to watch the rest of the game with me?" She nodded, thinking that there was nothing else she could do at the moment.

* * *

They found a seat by the sidelines where a lot of other people were seating. A girl with black hair turned around and saw Cagalli. She smiled, flashing white. 

"Cagalli!" The blonde looked directly in front of her to see the person who yelled out to her. She let out a quiet sigh before saying anything. The freckle faced girl waved.

"I didn't know that you would be here Meer." The older girl crawled over to Cagalli's right side. "Mom talked dad into letting me come. He said I had to be home by five though."

Shinn glanced at the watch of some guy sitting next to him. "Sorry to interrupt…but it's already 4:45…" Meer leaned back to see who was talking, the voice wasn't one she knew.

"Who are you?"

Shinn blinked, "My name is Shinn."

"Oh."

Meer leaned back to her normal sitting position and whispered to Cagalli, "Is that your boyfriend?"

Cagalli blinked, "Yes, why?"

Mia smirked. She would have a story tell come Friday morning! "I see, anyway, I should get home now." As she stood up to leave, she winked at Shinn, "Bye guys!"

After a final wave, she skipped off to the direction of her house.

'What a weird girl. Why does she make such a big deal over things like that? Nicol, Shani and Orga are my boyfriends too.'

* * *

Three young boys looked around the soccer field for Cagalli and the stranger. Well, more like Orga dragged Shani by the ear and Nicol followed. Sadly enough, they met with no luck. 

"You're going to have to apologize to Cagalli-chan, Shani-kun."

"Oww! Orga, let go! You've been dragging me around for the past God knows how long!"

"Uh…ten minutes…" Nicol put in timidly. Shani glared at the younger boy.

Orga stopped suddenly, "I found her, let's go." He gave a tug to Shani's ear, making him cry out in pain.

Sure enough, the other two saw Cagalli walking and talking with the other boy. They were coming towards them without knowing it.

* * *

"Cagalli-chan, Shani has something to say to you." He let go of his ear and pushed him in front lightly. After seeing that Shani was hesitant to apologize, Orga did the most out of character thing possible. He kicked Shani's backside. 

After Shani felt pressure and pain, words came out of his mouth. "CagalliImsorryIthoughtyouwereaboy! Ihopeyoucanforgivemeforthinkingso!"

It took Cagalli a while to figure out what Shani said. "Oh, umm…that's ok…I guess…" She lost all of her previous rage while watching the Eagles win, so there was nothing left to use to yell at him.

Shani sighed and turned to Orga, "Happy?" Cagalli turned her gaze to Orga as well and secretly smiled at him. Orga returned the smile with a little nod and looked over to Shinn.

"We haven't met properly," he grinned, "My name is Orga."

"I'm Shinn."

Orga frowned, "Shinn? As in Shinn Asuka?" Shinn nodded and Orga let out a knowing smile. "Well, seems like this is our second meeting…maybe there's more to come." Orga said the last part more to himself than to the others.

Shinn was bemused, 'Second meeting?'

"ASUKA! WHERE ARE YOU?" Shinn snapped his head towards his coach.

"It was nice meeting you all; I hope we meet again someday." He waved to them all and ran towards his coach.

* * *

Cagalli searched the parking lot. It hadn't been long since she last saw Shinn, so she assumed he didn't leave yet. 

She grinned when she found him talking to another blonde boy on the other side of the parking lot. It looked like they were packing some items into a black mini-van.Cagalli rantowards him. "Shinn!" She hoped her voice would be loud enough to reach him.

Shinn looked over his shoulder to find Cagalli, who was running towards him. He, in turn, ran up to her. They met in the middle of the parking lot.

Cagalli held out her palm. He looked down and saw a pendant of a pink stone in her hand. He heard from his mother that the stone was lucky. "For you."

He was hesitant to take it but she pushed her palm towards him. Shinn took it from her and fastened it around his neck. "Thank you Cagalli, but why are you giving it to me?"

She put her hands behind her back and looked over to the side, the wind ruffling her blonde hair,

"In hopes of meeting again."

* * *

* * *


	5. Five years after

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Gundam Seed/Destiny

* * *

* * *

"I'm sure that by now most of you have started to fill out your applications. As for those procrastinators…"

A fifteen year old blonde was sure the homeroom teacher shot a glance in her direction.

"I hope you end up graduating with a _fit_ background."

Cagalli rolled her eyes and went back to staring out the window. The joys of having a window seat. She heard the same stupid words so many times that she was able to rehearse them before entering the second floor room.

"I suppose I should let you out now. I've already cut five minutes of your lunch hour."

Just as the oldest female in the room finished her sentence, ninety percent of the class jumped for joy and rushed out the room. Cagalli was most definitely _not_ one of the ten percent who stayed behind and made sure to grab the collar of her best friend on her way out.

"Cagalli! Let go!"

For most of his school life, the green haired male had been dragged around by the blonde. Cagalli was a bully but refused to accept the title even after Orga, Nicol and Shani confirmed it. The only reason they didn't push too much was because she said Nicol was her only victim. Honestly, it was a little embarassing for the boy.

"Really Nicol, you need to build up your muscles. Did you ever consider going into that gym by your house?"

"Cagalli!"

"Alright, alright. Keep your shirt on."

The older blonde loosened her grip instantly, something the boy wasn't expecting so soon. He would have fallen down the stairs had his friend not been there. Being dependant on Cagalli wasn't a good thing anymore.

"Thanks." He managed to mumble out, brushing some dust off his shirt.

"No problem. Do you have to buy lunch today?"

"No. You?"

"Nope. Let's go eat outside. Won't be long until we leave this place."

Nicol grinned, "Yeah…"

* * *

"Nicol…what's up? You seem a little off." 

Cagalli took a bite out of her cheeseburger. She noticed the lack of lecturing from her friend on the horrible diet. Her remark seemed to get him out of his petite world. His green eyes met her auburn ones.

"Well…umm…Cagalli…what…school are you going to?"

Cagalli raised a brow, "Well, I was thinking DiMare High…why? You're going there too, remember?"

Nicol gaze journeyed back to the salad in front of him and picked at it with a fork. Cagalli tilted her head and poked him on the top of his head. He looked at her slowly then looked back down at the greens. What would be the best way to tell her?

"Nicol?"

"…"

"Are you not…staying with me?"

When Nicol looked up at the blonde with sorry eyes, Cagalli knew instantly she guessed right. She put her burger down slowly and folded her arms.

"Then…where are you going?"

"Umm…my father…he wants me to go to Platinum Secondary…to learn more about the piano…"

After Nicol finished his explanation, Cagalli realized it wasn't just about his father. As far back as she could remember, the piano was something he was fond of. It was kind of like how Shani wouldn't be complete without the ear-piercing music.

"Nicol…do…you want to go there too?" She asked slowly.

"…I guess I can't lie to you, can I?" A sad smile made its way to his face.

"…" Cagalli looked down to her half-eaten burger.

"The piano…" She looked up at Nicol, who seemed to have lost some of his sorrow.

"I don't know why Cagalli but…but it's just so magnificent! I love everything about it! The way my fingers moves smoothly across the glossy white keys…the way that I can just close my eyes and know _where_ put my fingers."

Nicol brought up his hands up and closed his eyes.

"I love the feeling that comes when I realise that it was _my_ effort making those beautiful sounds. I also love the way I can write my own music and show my feelings off, whether or not someone understands them. I just...love it."

The green haired boy opened his eyes and found the blonde possessing downcast eyes. His luminous smile disappeared when seeing his best friend hurting.

"Cagalli?" He got out of his seat and walked over to the other side of the picnic table. Seating himself next to her, Nicol gave her a loose hug.

"I'm sorry Cagalli…I was being selfish…I'll apply to DiMare too-" Nicol felt a hand pushing against his shoulder and met the blonde's angry eyes.

"Don't you _ever_ sacrifice your happiness for me, okay?" Her tone was not of a reassuring mother's but resembled one of a stern judge. Before he could open his mouth, Cagalli cut him off.

"I-I know that you really love to play the piano…I've known ever since we were like what? Five? But the point is I want you to be happy. If you want to go to Platinum, then go there and learn as much as you can. I want you to remember one thing while you're still in school:

You will always have a friend who will be cheering you on when you become a famous musician. Even if you do forget about me…I'll always be there for you, cheering you on. Then when I bring another friend, I'll be proud to say, 'That's my best friend up there!'"

Nicol found tears were beginning to form in Cagalli's eyes. He beamed before pulling the girl into a tight hug. He would miss her bullying and the safeguard she offered.

"Cagalli…you idiot. I won't ever forget you, you're my best friend. Even if we do go to different schools, you'll be the first person I'll think of if I ever get an award. Always."

He felt a light smack at the side of his head,

"Idiot. You'll _always_ get an award. I've heard you play before and believe me, you'd kick anyone's ass."

Nicol chuckled nervously at his friend's choice of words.

"Thank you Cagalli…" He pulled away and wiped the clear liquid that trailed down her cheeks with his uniform sleeve.

"You're my best friend Nicol and I know you deserve the best…Anyway," Cagalli dried the remaining tears harshly with the end of her top.

"We're supposed to meet Fllay and Shani at the arcade in five minutes." Nicol's grateful smiled faded away,

"Now? But we only have ten minutes left for our break! We won't make it there and back in that time."

"It's called skipping Nicky. Now come on, we're going to be late."

Her mood swing was something he wouldn't ever get used to, no matter how many years passed by.

"Cagalli!"

* * *

Shinn slumped down to the ground. 

Rey knew the meaning of late. Shocking. The blonde boy made him wait outside the school building for almost half an hour. It was a good thing the raven haired boy was patient otherwise there would have been hell to pay.

"Shinn!"

The said boy lazily looked towards the front entrance of the dreaded building and found Rey _and _Lunamaria. The pink haired girl was running up to him while Rey coolly made his way to him, bag slung over one shoulder. It was not a wonder why he was late. He was busy picking up his girlfriend.

"I had the best Socials class!"

As Luna told him of the happenings of Socials class, Shinn noticed that she boldly intertwined her fingers with Rey's. He snickered when he caught Rey blushing, causing Luna to ask what was wrong.

"Nothing."

"A-huh…so anyway, what school did you apply to, Shinn?"

"Don't know yet. I was thinking of just going to St. Hawk's High. It would be easy since we don't have to fill out any of those annoying forms. What about you guys?"

"Well- let's start walking neh? – We were thinking about going there as well. It's near home and easy – like you said."

"Cool."

As the three walked towards their street, Luna noticed a bump near the chest area of Shinn's uniform. Curious as a child, the cheery teen pointed towards it.

"Shinn? What's that?"

The boy looked down at the lump but didn't respond.

"It's a gift from his childhood lover." Rey stated, causing Shinn to blush madly.

"No it isn't!" It was too late as Luna started to tease him. It was rare times like this where Shinn would want to beat the crap out of his best buddy. He tried his best to hide his happy face when Meer, Rey's sister, saved him.

"Rey!"

The blonde sighed in response as the raven haired female came bounding out of his house.

"I thought she stayed with your mom?" Luna whispered.

"Apparently not." Was the all the blonde said in reply. It caused Shinn to blink then snicker once again. He was one of the two people who knew Rey didn't like his sister very much. It was obvious Meer doted her little brother though. She would always take him shopping with her, much to his silent horror, and buy him matching outfits.

"Rey!" The boy let go of Luna's hand and managed to catch Mia in his arms, her large chest almost knocking them both onto the ground.

"Why are you so happy?"

"Daddy told me you're coming to my high school! This is going to be so awesome! My friends already have siblings in school and now it's going to my turn to brag about you!"

"…I'm not an article of clothing."

"Everyone is going to be so jealous when I tell them my little brother won the academic award for three years straight!"

Lunamaria and Shinn suppressed their begging snickers. It was a known fact Rey was not a sociable person. The bouncy girl stopped to take a breath from her monolouge and greeted both Shinn and Lunamaria.

"I'm not going to DiMare."

"Heh?" Meer's cheery tone turned into confusion and she had a look of astonishment stuck on her face.

"B-but daddy said that-"

"Well I haven't exactly informed father yet-"

"Well then I'll gladly do so for you!" With that, sixteen year old Meer ran off towards their house, calling for their father.

Rey released a rare look of shock before bounding off after her. Shinn and Lunamaria looked at each other before letting their laughter out. Meer was always amused them without fail, which they found odd. Usually, a child of divorced parents turned into a confused or angry teenager but Meer managed to keep her cheer and enthusiasm throughout the entire process.

"That was interesting, huh Shinn?"

"Yeah…oh crap!"

Luna jumped, "What?"

"I have to go to the post office!" Shinn grabbed his hair.

Luna tilted her head, "Why?"

"I need to deliver something for my mom!"

"Shinn!"

"What!"

"Run!"

"Don't have to tell me twice!"

Luna watched the boy sprint and couldn't help but yell out,

"It closes at four!"

"SHIT!"

* * *

Bright orange letters and numbers flashed across the screen in the arcade, indicating the player achieved a high score. 

A boy with shoulder length green hair jumped up from his seat and commenced a victory dance, rubbing the win in a stranger's face.

"Shani-kun! You're the best!"

"I know!"

Fllay jumped up and down beside Shani, giving him a peck on the cheek before she stopped. Shani blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. He wondered why the girl always gave out kisses so freely. Someone could get the wrong message.

"Where's Cagalli and Nicol?"

"I think they went to buy some slushies. Let's go find them."

As the two walked around the dark floor, Fllay received whistles and comments, which she had responses to. It entertained Shani a lot more than a drunk Orga did. When he saw a flash of blonde, he called out,

"Oi! Cagalli! Over here!"

The blonde hair swished around and a flash of white shined through the darkness. After the two younger kids made their way to the older two, they distributed the flavoured treats around. Strawberry for Fllay, orange for both Cagalli and Shani while Nicol had grape.

The blonde managed to receive a comment or two as well but unlike Fllay's responses, her responses were a bit more…violent.

The kid who received the bloody nose ran off to who knew where. Shani chuckled before talking in between sips.

"Cagalli, let me tell you something. Violent actions are not the way to go here because it might get us kicked out. I really don't give a damn if you do it somewhere else because Orga can take care of it."

She rolled her eyes, "Whatever. What is he going to do, tattle on us?"

"You got that right."

The four froze and slowly looked up, where they met with a tall beefy man. He didn't look too happy. Shani let out a 'charming' grin which of course, failed miserably.

The man pointed towards the exit, "Out."

Fllay stuck her tongue out at him before sticking her nose up in the air. Nicol rubbed his temple while both Shani and Cagalli rolled their eyes. Three out four left the arcade sadly, knowing the place kept the best junk food.

"So where are we off to now?" Fllay asked, sipping her pink slushie.

"I dunno. What time is it?" Shani looked at Nicol, who looked at his watch.

"Three o'clock sharp." Nicol replied.

"Hey Shani, did you tell Orga you were skipping today?" Cagalli looked across the street towards a bookstore.

"Ah, no. Use your brain once in awhile." The blonde, who was used to the insulting comments from Shani, rolled her eyes.

"Did you have Science together?"

"Yeah, he's my lab partner...oh shit! We had a dissection today..."

"Someone's gonna get their ass kicked…" Cagalli sang and Nicol gave a disapproving face.

"Shani-kun! Look! There's Orga-kun!"

Shani cringed and dashed behind Fllay. Peeking over the shorter girl's shoulder, the boy found his best friend stomping over to them. How he knew that they would be here was kind of obvious…plus the bookstore _was_ right there…Shani sometimes wondered how he became friends with someone who held such an interest in books.

Orga's eyes held anger in them but it disappeared when he greeted Fllay, Cagalli, and Nicol. However, when he saw Shani, the red eyes returned.

"We had Science today."

Shani chuckled weakly, "Y-yeah…I know…"

"We had a test today." Orga's deep voice lowered and instantly Shani knew he was dead.

"…"

"It was worth twenty-five percent of our grade."

"…" Shani knew he couldn't look away from those eyes for if he did, the situation would get worse. He gulped and let him continue.

"You're _failing,_ Shani. Care to tell me why you thought skipping would be a good idea?"

The other three glanced among each other and knew it was time to split.

"Uhh…I-I have piano practice right now…."

"I told mom that I'd go with her to the hospital and visit your mom, Orga."

"Shani-kun…I have some things to do…"

Orga looked at Cagalli, "Alright then. I'm going there too later."

The younger two nodded and ran off, leaving Fllay with the guys.

The redhead turned around and gave Shani a tight hug.

"Good luck." She whispered in her ear before rushing off. He blushed and looked the opposite direction. Why did he always blush when it came to that girl? It was not a Shani thing to do. Orga chuckled before letting his anger take over again.

"Shani. We have things to discuss."

* * *

"I feel a little guilty for leaving Shani there alone…" Nicol confessed while walking down the street with Cagalli. 

The blonde glanced at him and nodded, "Yeah…but whatever. Now I _have_ to go to the hospital or Orga will know that I was lying…" She sighed and looked over to the green haired boy.

"Did you really have piano practice?"

"Yeah but I need to deliver a letter at the post office. Father asked me to."

The green haired boy reached into his bag and took out an addressed envelope. She wondered why Mr. Amalfi wrote so many letters. Sure, his job did require a lot of communication but the post office was barely used; e-mail was the modern way of communicating.

Cagalli frowned, "What time do you have practice at?"

"Umm…I think it was around three thirty." The pale skinned boy tapped his chin.

She widened her eyes when catching a glimpse of Nicol's watch.

"You're going to late! It's almost time!"

"Wha…what?" Nicol started panicking until Cagalli proposed she'd deliver the letter.

"Thank you Cagalli! You're the best!" Nicol hugged her before sprinting off, waving. The blonde returned the gesture and let a tinge of sorrow wash through her.

"I'm going to miss you, Nicol…"

She looked at the ground before crossing onto another street. The post office wasn't too far away and she was sure she would be able to make it there in ten minutes.

* * *

Shinn panted heavily as he leaned against the glass doors of the post office. He mentally noted to get Lunamaria back somehow. 

The post office did not close at four but at six. Scowling, the boy made his way inside.

Warm air met his cold face as he stepped into the carpeted room. For a post office, it seemed a little different especially with the couches, TV, vending machines and other household items. It was also relatively empty…which creeped him out.

His head swished from side to side, looking for people. Frowning, the boy made his way to the front desk and rang the little silver bell. To his dismay, no one came to the front and he didn't know what to do. It was his first time in a post office.

The raven haired boy leaned over the counter and tried to look into the small room to the side. His ruby eyes caught something on the floor and diverted his attention to it. He heaved a frustrated sigh.

'Back in ten.'

It would have made more sense for the sign to be on the _locked_ front door but maybe the person's common sense didn't work. He had had those days before. Shinn weighed his options.

He could either go home and tell his mother what happened or wait for ten minutes. Deciding to stay, the middle-schooler made his way to the fluffy couches.

His hand retrieved the pink necklace he liked to play with so much. He didn't remember exactly _who_ gave it to him. All he remembered was a girl with blonde hair and she gave it to him years ago.

His mother had told him that this necklace was supposed to protect him. From what Shinn had no idea but it was the thought that counted. It would be nice to meet that girl again…

The sound of the door opening caught his attention. He looked over curiously to who had let in the cold air. The door closed and Shinn found a girl repeating his actions.

She was seemed to be the same age as him and had blonde hair. She wore a red and white uniform with a logo of a hawk on the sleeve. If he remembered correctly, that was the uniform of the S. H. Academy. And that meant that she was from the rivalling school.

Their eyes met and lingered for a second too long. It was as though they knew each other. She looked away first and walked to the desk. Again his actions were repeated except for the fact that she let out a string of colourful words.

Shinn smirked and looked out the window. The clouds were starting to become an ugly gray colour. He hoped that the person in charge would get back soon and he would miss the foreshadowing rain.

"Anyone else sitting here?"

Shinn directed only his eyes to his right. Glancing up, he found the annoyed face of the blonde.

"No."

She took the seat opposite him and crossed her legs. He noticed that her eyes happened the same as his favourite colour. The hand that had clasped the necklace let go and made its way to his pants pocket.

* * *

The boy's starring did not pass Cagalli. He wore a dark gray uniform that indicated that he went to her rivalling school. But that didn't matter to her because right now the place was empty and the silence was creeping her out. He was the solution to her problem. 

"Nice necklace." She started. Cagalli was sure that she had something like that before. It belonged to her mother who…didn't exactly _give it_ to her.

"Thanks." He mumbled out, avoiding her eyes. She frowned when she saw faint markings through the front. The blonde also remembered that her 10 year old self had marked the back with C.H.

"Can I see it? It's a Haumea right?" The boy looked at her weirdly then surveyed the room. Cagalli rolled her eyes; she wasn't about to steal the thing.

* * *

Shinn had his doubts. What if she ran off with it? He didn't know the exact value of the stone but he knew that it was rare. Ever since he obtained it, he had never seen the stone owned by anyone else. 

After a few moments of thinking, Shinn concluded that if she did run off with it, it was most likely that she wouldn't be as fast as him. Letting out a slow breath, Shinn took off the necklace and gave it to her.

His ruby eyes watched her as she examined it with a frown. It startled him when the blonde jerked her gaze to him. She looked him up and down before settling her eyes on his. Honestly, he was a little creeped out by the way she starred at him. Shinn relaxed when she let out a grin.

"You're that boy, aren't you?"

Shinn raised an eyebrow. What did she mean by that? It was obvious that she caught his confusion because she started to explain deeper.

"That boy from 5 years ago. The soccer game? Remember that? You…you said that you liked my eyes…" She looked down at her shoes and grinned, holding out the necklace.

"This is mine. See the markings on the back? C.H…it stands for Cagalli Hibiki. That's me…" She looked up at him and they starred each other for awhile; Her with content and him with confusion.

"You don't remember?" Her rough voice had toned down to a soft and disappointed one. Her casted her eyes back down to the ground.

Shinn frowned and closed his eyes. The girl that gave him the necklace was a blonde…and so was she…the girl also had auburn eyes...so did she...No one else had spotted the faint markings on the back…but she did.

"Cagalli…." He said the name out loud. The image that came to mind was of a small 10 year old blonde. The image slowly evolved into the teen sitting opposite to him. His eyes jerked open when a bolt of thunder echoed throughout the office.

He saw her jump in her seat which made her bag fall down to the ground. Blinking, the boy picked it up and handed it to her. He saw that her hand was slightly trembled.

"Yeah…I think I remember." So he was lying. It seemed like the right thing to do since she seemed scared.

"Really?"

"Yeah…"

"Do you remember chasing me after Shani – the green haired boy- called me a boy?"

"Yeah…" he leaned forward and listened to her talk.

* * *

The two spent hours talking and realised that the person wasn't back yet. Cagalli glanced at the clock and saw that it was past 6. Her mouth twitched when she remembered that she was supposed to meet Orga at the hospital. 

She stopped mid-sentence and pressed her hand against the glass window behind her. It was getting dark and was raining. She didn't even notice.

They had spent time talking about their family, friends, school and messed up things. That must have distracted her from her surroundings.

Cagalli sighed and looked back at Shinn with a frown. "I don't think that guy is going to be coming back anytime soon. I'm leaving…I had to be somewhere…"

The blonde picked up her bag and walked towards the doorway. When she looked back at Shinn, she saw that he was walking towards her as well. He smiled,

"I might as well go too. Which way do you walk?" Cagalli pointed to her left. He mumbled something that she couldn't hear and then he replied.

"Why don't I walk you home? A girl shouldn't walk home by herself." She snorted, "Unlike many other girls, I know how to take care of myself."

When she opened the door, sounds of the rain caught both their ears.

* * *

Amongst the sounds of feet running through water, Shinn called back to the girl. 

"Are we almost there?"

"Almost!"

He grinned and held on to her hand tighter. It had gotten dark and it was heard for Shinn to see. Because of that, holding the blonde's hand seemed like the most reasonable thing to do.

They had decided to run towards her house and had fun doing so. Jumping into puddles and splashing each other wasn't something Shinn did with Lunamaria and Rey too often.

His ruby eyes searched for her auburn ones and smiled when they met. He heard a noise and stopped running, making Cagalli collide into him.

"Oi! What was-"

He turned around and hugged her. A car sped by and drove through a puddle, making the water rise. Since Shinn was taller and covered Cagalli, he was the only one that got drenched. He looked down at her 'o' shaped mouth.

"Are we almost there?"

"Y-yeah…"

"Are we going to be meeting tomorrow again?"

"S-sure…"

"Are you cold?"

"S-sort of…"

Shin grinned and rested his cheek on the top of her head. He had seen Rey do this to Lunamaria before when she was cold…so it was okay if he did it to someone…right?

"Hey…Shinn…"

"Yeah?" She rested against him.

"We really should get out of the rain."

"Yeah." Either didn't move.

"Shinn."

"Yeah?"

"Keep the necklace. Do you remember what I said when I gave that to you?"

"…Yeah?" He looked down at her with a look of guilt.

" 'In hopes of meeting again' We met again…isn't that weird?"

"…Yeah?"

Cagalli chuckled, "Oh and Shinn, you really do sound unintelligent when you keep repeating the same word."

He chuckled as well, letting the raindrops fall on him.

In the dark night on a sidewalk stood two teens. Both smiling as though they knew something that no one else did.

* * *

* * *


	6. One year later

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Gundam SEED/Destiny or any of its characters.

* * *

"Ready…Go!"

At Lunamaria's prompt, Shinn pushed off the ground and sprinted towards the other side of the gravel field. Long hair was pushed back by the wind, letting ruby eyes set on the soccer post ahead. Thoughts of beating a minute passed through his mind and he pumped his legs harder.

"Shinn! Shinn stop!"

Blinking, the raven haired male looked around and realized he ran past the finish line. He slowed to a jog and turned towards the pink haired teenager, going back to her. The jog lessened into a walk, giving his heart a break from the tremendous workout.

"What was my time?"

"Ten seconds, that's a new record! Congrats Shinn!"

The girl jumped up and down in happiness, expressing how happy she was for one of her best friends. Shinn couldn't help but grin. Lunamaria's cheery self was always put a smile on his face. He wondered if there was something wrong with Rey. The boy never smiled.

"You're definitely ready for the track team!"

"All thanks to you, Luna."

If the teenage girl hadn't taken time off her schedule, Shinn was sure he wouldn't have been able to improve as much as he did. Tryouts for the team were going to take place the day after tomorrow.

"No way! If you hadn't put work into training, then this wouldn't have been possible." She glanced at her watch and her eyes widened. "I need to meet Rey in ten minutes, I'll see you around!"

The seventeen year old started to jog towards the school, waving. Stopping for a second, she cupped her hands around her lips and yelled,

"If you took that necklace off, then you'd be faster!"

Before running off again, Shinn looked down at the bump in his white gym shirt. Grinning, the boy pulled it out and held the stone in his hand.

It gleamed in the sunlight, suddenly feeling warm. He always kept it with him, no matter where he went, kind of like a good luck charm. He knew the value of it and was surprised when Cagalli never asked for it back. She had given it to him when they were little kids, after all.

_'Cagalli…'_

Shinn grinned wider. She was different…not as girly as Lunamaria or high class like that redhead, Fllay. A bit boyish but when with the guys, she shone. Not as brightly as Fllay but she still stood out in a refreshing way. Her manner of speech was rough but friendly, her aura was hearty but welcoming, and her eyes, her eyes were as radiant as a gem.

Shinn blinked. He shook his head.

_'Whoa, getting carried away.'_

His mind was supposed to be focusing on running; the track team was waiting for him.

* * *

"But that's not fair! Don't they want to be outside in their natural environment?" 

Waist length, black hair swivelled with the seventeen year old body. Meer Durandal turned to eighteen year old Orga Badgiruel, dark eyes full of dejection. Orga, slightly distracted by his friend's large assets brushing against his arm, sighed and looked into the younger student's eyes.

"The frogs have been in the lab since they were eggs, Meer. If they go out into the wild, they'd die."

"W-why?"

"Because they wouldn't know how to survive."

Meer was silent for awhile, before speaking up again. "But animals live on instinct, right? They'll know how to survive."

She smiled at him, with her arms crossed behind her back. Orga exhaled frustration; reasoning with the second year student wouldn't be good for his health. She would refuse to lose in an argument. What a way to spend a lunch hour, he thought sarcastically, arguing with a tree hugger.

"Orga, you'll help a friend out, right?"

He raised an eyebrow.

* * *

Shani wanted to punch _something_. 

The two girls with him were driving him insane and he couldn't block them out since they jacked his mp3 player. Fllay and another girl who he had never seen before were sitting across each other in the corridor, with the redhead leaning against the wall length window. It was only supposed to be him and Fllay out in the hallways.

Everyone in their year and one below knew to fear Shani when he was angry. He liked that kind of power. They always left him alone but of course, whispered things behind his back, like all idiotic high school students. But one little girl had the courage to come up to them and starting talking. The hallway was _theirs._

And they were going on about make-up and boys. _Boys!_ In front of him! Did they have no shame?

"Oh, it's alright. Shani-kun is like one of the girls."

WHAT? With a twitching eye, the green haired male asked Fllay to elaborate. She transfixed her shining blue eyes on his odd pair. Tucking a strand of red hair behind her ear, Fllay explained with a giggle here and there.

"Shani-kun, I feel very comfortable around you. It's like having Cagalli with me. I think I can talk about anything with you."

Suddenly, the sunlight came through the glass, showering Fllay in golden light. She raised a hand to her lips and giggled; he swore he could see tiny stars glinting around her.

Abruptly, he banged the side of his head against the wall hard, causing him to black out for a second. Shani fell to the ground with his eyes closed.

"Shani-kun!"

He held back a smirk when he felt his head being tugged into Fllay's lap. Opening an eyelid a crack, he scowled at the unknown. She squeaked and ran off, saying she would call the school nurse.

Shani sighed internally with bliss. This is how lunch break should be spent, he thought. Him and Fllay, alone. He never thought she was his type. She was one of the most popular girls at school and the daughter of one of the directors on the Platinum High school board, meaning she was rich and spoiled. Shani always thought he would be attracted to a girl who was the same as him.

"Shani-kun? Shani-kun? Can you hear me?"

Fllay was sure she'd given Shani cavities with her extreme sweetness. She rolled her eyes when he groaned. Sometimes, the boy was so easy to figure out. The Shani she knew would never groan but swear at anyone who asked if he was alright.

The redhead also saw the faint smirk on his lips. She rolled her eyes again. He could be such a baby sometimes…but she didn't mind at all.

"Shani-kun, you'll be okay."

She lowered to bring her cheek down to his, causing him discomfort. Slowly, Fllay closed her eyes and sighed softly, the breath caressing his cheek.

The girl knew that her friend wasn't coming back anytime soon. If Shani just asked her to go steady with him, then other people wouldn't be a problem anymore.

* * *

"Orga, what's up with you?" 

Freshman Cagalli asked, noticing Orga wasn't debating some philosophical theory with her. Usually when they walked home together, he would start talking about something after seeing an object of some kind.

Today he seemed to be distracted, looking at the ground ahead of him as he walked. Walking in silence with the Orga of two years ago wouldn't have been abnormal but he had changed significantly since then.

The third year high school student now swore once in awhile, talked a lot, and acquired a horrible temper. He still liked to talk about the same things as before but Cagalli had to be careful not to cross the line. Because then, it wouldn'ts matter if she was his childhood friend or not; he would release his frustration.

The blonde asked Nartale about the change but the doctor couldn't say much except suggesting high school stress must have gotten to him. Nartale didn't spend much time at home anymore because of work so she wasn't up to date with Orga…

Cagalli blinked. Maybe…

"Hm?"

For a moment, he was caught off guard and she resisted the urge to bother him about it. Orga was never off guard. He looked away, moving his head a bit and the afternoon sun hit Cagalli in the eye. She moved back into his tall shadow, frowning at the ball of light above.

"I'm screwed."

"Why?"

"Meer trapped me."

"What?"

"She made me say yes to something I don't want to do."

"Oh…what now?"

"I'm going to have to do it."

"Because you never go back on your word?"

"Yeah."

"I see…you know, I think she likes you."

Orga raised a brow and gave Cagalli a sceptical look. He then looked away, rolling his eyes.

"You're not the one to usually catch on to these things."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"…What makes you say she does?"

"She spends a lot of time with you -"

"Nicol spent a lot of time with you."

"- she always smiles whenever you come into her classroom when she's down.-"

"How would you know? You're not in her year."

"- and she doesn't shut-up about you, according to Fllay."

"Is Fllay's information always trustworthy?"

Cagalli huffed in annoyance and retaliated to his points. "Nicol and I were best friends, you two are not. I'm not in her year but Shani is. And Fllay and Meer are better friends than me and Meer so I'm not going to totally dismiss what Fllay said."

Orga scoffed before speaking, "I don't believe in best friends, Cagalli, and Meer is one of my good friends so isn't it obvious that I'd spend time with her? Since when does Shani pay attention to Meer? He's too preoccupied looking at Fllay.

"As for Fllay's information, she exaggerates like most human beings in the world. What did you mean by you and Nicol 'were' best friends?" Orga didn't want to discuss the relationship between him and Meer and took the opening Cagalli left.

She looked away from him to the clouds above them. "We haven't spoken in almost six months. He's so busy with piano. He's gotten really good, you know. People are asking him to play at concerts and he's at top of his class…and I didn't find all this out from Nicol." She looked at Orga with a sad smile, "Mom left newspaper articles relating to him on the table before she left to work in the mornings."

Orga placed a hand on her shoulder. "He's probably busy. He has a pompous idiot for a father, right?"

Cagalli frowned; she knew Orga never liked Nicol's father because of the way he verbally abused the doctors and nurses at his mother's hospital. But he funded the faculty so Orga couldn't say much although he was mature enough to accept Nicol as a friend, knowing he was different.

"I don't think he'd let his son have free time. But knowing Nicol, he'll get to you when he can."

"Yeah…"

"What about Shinn?"

The freshman was taken back, "What about him?"

"Isn't he kind of Nicol's replacement?"

Cagalli widened her auburn eyes, "He's nothing like Nicol!" A blush was spread across her cheeks and Orga smirked.

"Oh? Not best friend material then?"

He laughed as Cagalli threw a tantrum. "Shut-up!"

Shinn…definitely wasn't Nicol. She could only see Nicol as a friend and nothing more. The boy who she kept meeting through her life, according to Orga, was special.

The night she looked into his eyes on that rainy day a year ago, she knew there was something waiting. She still doesn't know what it is but whenever Cagalli saw him, she felt happier than usual. Sometimes, she wouldn't be able to take her eyes off his crimson ones.

It was her favourite colour.

"So when are you seeing him again?"

"Uh…I don't know…"

Orga smirked, not saying anything. He knew they started liking each other back when they all met at the soccer field years ago. Cagalli and Shinn weren't aware of it since they were children at the time but he knew because of his overexposure to such things.

"Well, Cagalli, I approve."

"A-approve? Of what?!"

* * *

The sun was shining, the wind was blowing gently, and the grass beneath her was glamorous. It was a beautiful day to listen to Rey's playing. Lunamaria lay down on the grass next to the platform the piano stood on and sighed lazily. 

The melody the sixteen year old blonde boy chose to play was soft and slow. She didn't recognize it though and came to the conclusion that it was something he worked on recently.

The teenage girl loved Rey's backyard. It was bigger than most by two yards and was home to a colourful garden. The piano was placed right by the back door and was loud enough to reach the end of the property.

She rolled over onto her stomach and propped her elbows up, resting her chin on her upturned palms. Her blue eyes rested on Rey, her boyfriend of two years.

His eyes were closed and his head swayed lightly to the rhythm. Rey's form was magnificent, she thought. As soon as he stopped playing, Lunamaria stood up quickly and praised him loudly. Rey blinked and softly smiled.

"Is that a new piece?"

She settled onto his lap and draped an arm around his shoulder, looking at the piano keys. Lunamaria didn't sense his uneasiness at all. It was the first time she'd done it and Rey needed time to adjust. He fought a silent battle of where to put his hand and finally reconciled with putting in on her waist.

"Y-yes. I wrote it two days ago. Does it sound alright?"

"Obviously!" She smiled, showing off her white teeth, "Anything you do is great, you know that."

Rey didn't respond, not knowing what to say. He looked away from her and towards the house, looking for any occupants. Seeing no one, he relaxed and pulled Lunamaria's arm to him. She stopped talking and grinned shyly when comprehending his actions.

She closed her eyes and leaned into him. Rey liked kissing her; she'd always taste like a different fruit each time. He would always feel warm inside, a feeling he liked. Her fingers skimmed through his hair, stalled at his neck, then reached behind and rested them there.

As the two shared an intimate moment, Talia entered the house with bags of grocery. She dumped them on the kitchen table before heading for the sink to wash her hands. Shaking her hair, the brunette sighed; it was a long day at work.

She glanced up and couldn't measure her surprise. Her son was outside with the piano, as usual, but instead being his usual solitary self, he was with…a girl. The forty year old woman assumed she was his girlfriend, _hoped_ more like.

Smiling, she wiped her hands with a paper towel an allowed them privacy. Walking towards her room upstairs, she wondered if Gil knew about their son's relationship. Not only was it shocking, but a relief as well. Rey was becoming sociable.

Then what about Meer? Would she have a boyfriend too? Talia knew her oldest child carried self-esteem issues which was why she sent her to live with Gilbert. Hopefully his social parties would help her open up and become surer of herself.

As soon as she reached her room, the police chief collapsed onto the bed. Living apart from Gil wasn't something she was fond of but it was necessary, maybe for another year or two. Their careers clashed causing the current situation.

Talia knew Meer and Rey weren't too happy with the arrangements. Rey was closer with Gilbert and Meer with her. She also knew Meer loved having Rey around and she doted on him, even spoiled him. But both Talia and Gil could support one child at a time thus the kids changing homes every two months.

Her blue eyes roamed around the room and fell on a photograph of all four members of the family. She walked over to it and picked it up, smiling.

"Everything will be alright again, right Gil? We'll be one family again soon."

* * *

If he kept walking, Shinn was sure his legs would break. It was nearing nine o'clock and he had been at the school grounds, training. He hadn't even finished his homework for tomorrow; his plans for going straight to sleep went down the drain. 

He could barely see ahead of him anymore since it got so dark. He didn't call home either; they were probably worried sick about him. Shinn would get his ears boxed, he was sure of it. His entire body slumped over.

The vibration in his pocket caused him to stand upright. Taking out his mobile, he flipped it open and grinned at the text message.

_'__B__usy this __s__aturday__?'_

The boy thought about it; there was something that day…his eyes widened. Rey's concert! There were four tickets and he gave Lunamaria two and him two. Luna was probably going to take Meyrin and he had yet to ask someone. Cagalli seemed to be free.

_'Do __You L__ike __P__iano__ C__oncerts?'_

_'__y__eah__, why?'_

_'Rey Gave Me 2 Tickets. __Wanna__ Come?'_

_'__um…__I'll see if __i__ can come but interested.'_

_'Okay. I'll __Pick__ You Up At 7 If Yes.'_

_'__k__.'_

_'Good Night.'_

_'__night__.'_

Shinn put his phone back into his pocket and there was a spring in his every other step. He would be able to see Cagalli after two weeks. Going to separate schools from your crush was difficult, he thought. They would see each other more than the average rivalling high school students would but it still didn't seem like enough.

When he got home, Shinn was too eager for Cagalli's reply to listen to his parent's disciplining. He gave his sister, who was watching the television, a hug as usual before going to his room. Mayu Asuka watched her brother lazily, knowing something good must have happened for him not to pay any heed to their parents.

At twelve on the dot, Shinn finished his homework and received a reply from Cagalli.

_'__i can come :)'_

* * *

"Do I look okay?" 

Via held back a chuckle. She would never have guessed her daughter would say such a thing during her teenage years. She stopped cutting the carrots and asked Orga to continue for her. He smirked at the question and did as requested.

The brunette walked into the blonde's room. She was looking in the mirror, trying to fix her hair, which she did a horrible job of fixing. Via didn't say anything and walked behind the younger girl. She pulled out the clips and took the brush from Cagalli's hand.

After many strokes, sprays and clips, the blonde hair was bundled at the top with green clips holding it up. It wasn't extremely complicated but enough to pass as formal. Via held Cagalli's hand and pulled her up, looking her up and down.

She wore a strapless dark green dress with a low cut but she wore a forest green tank top underneath. Gold earrings hung from her ears with a matching necklace around her neck. She was advised to wear slippers with the dress because Via was sure heels wouldn't do for her.

Cagalli smiled and Via couldn't help but give her a hug. It was the first time she had gotten dressed up after her fifth birthday party. The last time the both of them saw Ulen.

"You look wonderful Cagalli."

"Thanks, mom."

Mother and daughter walked out of the room and to the apartment's living room. On the way, Via picked up a gold bracelet from her dresser in her room. She slipped the item onto the blonde's wrist, completing her look. There wasn't a moment before this that Via felt so proud of her only child.

"Orga! How does my dumpling look?"

"Mom…"

Cagalli blushed, obviously embarrassed by the nickname. Her auburn eyes then rested on Orga's back, who was putting the emptied bags into the garbage. When he turned, he was slightly surprised. Never before had he seen Cagalli in a dress. Skirts, she once told him, were her limit.

"You look great, Cagalli. Shinn better be impressed."

He walked to her and put a hand on top of her head, a habit he never grew out of and ignored her blush.

"Shinn? Who's Shinn?"

"A potential boyfriend."

"Really?! What year? The one who's going to pick her up?"

"Freshman, like Cagalli. It's an interesting story, actually."

The blonde blushed furiously and told him to shut-up. Via chuckled and disappeared for a moment and came back with a camera in her hands and a smile on her face.

"Picture time!"

After what Cagalli considered to be the most embarrassing ten minutes, there was a knock at the door. She would have answered it but Via pushed her into the hallway, hidden from view. Orga answered the door.

"Evening, Shinn."

"Ah…oh, Orga, good evening. Um…"

"Yeah, have the right house." He looked back at his 'second mother' and introduced Shinn as he entered the apartment.

"Welcome to our home, young man. Would you like anything to drink?"

"N-no thank you…Is Cagalli ready?"

"Yes, she'll be out in ten minutes."

Cagalli raised an eyebrow, feeling her temper rise as well. Before she could march out to the living room, where Shinn sat on one of the couches, Orga excused himself to the washroom and pulled her back.

"She wants to see what kind of a boy he is."

"But…she could just ask me or you!"

"Shut-up."

He clamped a hand over her mouth and directed her towards one of the bedrooms so they wouldn't be seen.

"You wouldn't understand, Cagalli."

He said in a frustrated tone. She tried to say something but it was muffled by his hand. He blinked before moving it away,

"What?"

"I said what if mom starts on one of her stories?"

A look of horror passed through her features and she had to get out there. It didn't take much for Orga to push her backwards and onto the bed.

"Have some trust in your mother."

Before the blonde could retort, his mobile went off. He didn't recognize the number but answered anyway. A hesitant voice came from the other side.

"O-Orga?"

"…Meer?"

His eyes caught on Cagalil's curiosity. Ignoring it, he turned around and walked away from her.

"Um…F-Fllay gave me your number; I hope you don't mind…"

From her quiet tone, Orga assumed she hadn't talked to boys on the phone before. He grinned softly and said he didn't mind.

"Then, um, are you still going to b-be helping me on M-Monday?"

"Yes, I suppose I will be."

"Okay, thank you! Bye!"

The drastic change in her volume had him cringing but he bid her goodbye and put his phone away. When he turned to face Cagalli again, he found her right below his nose. He took a step back.

"So? So? What did she say?"

"Nothing-"

"She must have said something; you were on the phone with her for like two minutes. You can't say nothing in that time!"

"Calm down. She just asked if I would help her out on Monday."

"Ohh…_that._ I still can't believe you're going to do it."

Orga sighed, "I can't believe it either." He frowned when Cagalli smirked.

"I told you she liked you. Do you like-"

"Don't finish that sentence, Cagalli."

He took her by the shoulders and steered her towards the other two. She wanted to press him for information as a punishment for letting her mother talk to Shinn unsupervised. But she obviously wouldn't have the chance.

"Cagalli never told me she would get stuck underneath couches when she was little."

And the blonde deeply regretted trusting Orga.

"She was quite the adventurous child. She'd wail and we'd have to get her out from under there."

"MOM!"

Cagalli glared at Orga, who disregarded it, and marched over to Shinn, pulled him by the arm and said firmly they were getting late and had to go. She should have made Via promise she wouldn't embarrass him then he wouldn't have known about that habit of hers.

"Oh, that's a shame. It was nice talking to you, Shinn."

Via smiled at the boy who awkwardly smiled back. Orga smirked as Cagalli blushed; she knew never to leave Shinn with her mother again, unless she wanted more embarrassing stories to leak out like that. She pulled the boy away towards the door and said they'd be home by ten thirty over her shoulder.

The other two occupants of the apartment waved at them and stopped when the door closed.

"He's a nice boy."

"Hm. A bit on the shy side but he seems alright for her. Glad you approved."

"You wouldn't have let him near if you knew I wouldn't, Orga." Via shook her head and patted the taller boy's shoulder. "Let's eat now, shall we? Your mother won't be home for another five hours and told me to eat without her."

Orga hid his disappointment and nodded in agreement.

* * *

Shinn watched Cagalli's back as she dragged him away from the unit the Hibiki family lived in. He glanced down at his arm where her hand touched. Blushing, he pulled away, muttering something unintelligent. 

She turned around and frowned, "Did you say something?"

"Uh…you look really nice…"

"Oh…thank you…"

Silence followed. The two didn't look at each other at first then slowly did, admiring the other's eyes. Before he could get fully lost in her auburn pair, Shinn pulled out a pin shaped like a flower. It was gold and flat and he was glad it would match her outfit.

Cagalli loved his eyes. The brightness never dulled. He looked handsome and professional in his tuxedo and silver dress shirt. She didn't notice him timidly reaching towards her chest. But his hands shook and he changed direction, fixing the pin onto her scarf.

She blinked and pulled the material out to see what he had done. Her lips curved.

"It's pretty. Thank you."

"It…it was nothing. L-let's go?"

"Yeah…"

He offered her his shoulder which she accepted with a slight blush.

"Shinn! Over here!"

Both Cagalli and Shinn looked to their right, finding a girl with magenta hair walking to them with another by her side. Lunamaria had brought a younger looking girl with red hair who wore a blue, low cut dress that ended at the knees.

Luna herself was wearing a red dress that stopped at the knees from the front but fell to the floor from the back. The connecting fabric between the two parts where pleated. Cagalli thought they looked beautiful.

"Lunamaria, Meyrin."

He remarked and gently smiled as he turned to the girl with red hair. "How have you been?"

"Great, how about you, Shinn?"

"Good. Oh, this is my dat- my friend, Cagalli Hibiki. Cagalli, this is Meyrin Hawke, Lunamaria's younger sister."

Both girls exchanged greetings and tuned into the conversation next to them. The older Hawke sister was talking about Athrun Zala, the university student well known in the city. He was the son of the Mayor of the town and was currently studying to become a doctor.

"Can you believe Meyrin landed him?"

Cagalli was surprised; Athrun dated school girls? He was very handsome and Meyrin was pretty…she smiled.

"Congratulation, Meyrin-san. Athrun Zala is quite the catch."

Usually, the blonde wouldn't say such things to strangers. But she felt comfortable around the redhead already, maybe because she was Lunamaria's sister and Shinn's friend. It seemed as though the feeling was mutual; Meyrin smiled and giggled, hosting a small blush.

"Yes, he is. I'm lucky he chose me. Thank you, Cagalli-san."

Aside from Luna, nobody noticed the minor twitch in Shinn's eye. He had always considered Athrun as a rival. But if Meyrin was happy with him, he wouldn't say anything although he didn't expect Cagalli to say anything…

"Let's go get our seats."

Lunamaria tugged on Meyrin's arm, causing her to stumble. She managed to catch herself and Shinn offered Cagalli an arm once again, not feeling as confident as before.

She accepted once again but before they could move, Cagalli spotted a familiar face to the side. Her eyes widened.

"Shinn! It's Nicol!"

True to her words, a young man with green hair, wearing a tuxedo, was signing autographs. He must have heard Cagalli because he looked up in their direction. With disbelief in his eyes, Nicol tried to come to them though the guards stationed at his side wouldn't allow him to go.

He waved sadly and Cagalli returned it with a fake smile. She didn't know he would be here. That must have meant he was performing. Her smile then transformed to genuine. She would finally be able to listen to Nicol play!

She pulled Shinn to the auditorium, not able to hold her excitement. Shinn blinked and tried to stop Cagalli from running; it wouldn't look good since they were in a very formal environment.

* * *

"Nicol is going to blow everyone away!" 

The blonde couldn't stop fidgeting in her seat. The four of them had been sitting for twenty minutes and were bored. The show was supposed to start ten minutes ago but was delayed for some reason. Shinn snorted,

"Rey's a much better pianist."

Cagalli froze and locked her furious eyes with his lazy ones.

"Nicol is a wonderful and talented boy, and I'm sure Rey is too but Nicol is attending a school where the most talented students are studying."

Luna and Meyrin listened to the two bicker. "Aren't you going to say anything?" Meyrin asked, wanting to know if her sister would defend her boyfriend. She would if someone said something against Athrun.

"Nah, it's kind of routine. They need to have at least an argument when they're together."

While it was obvious they liked each other, Luna was glad to see their to-be relation wouldn't be only hugs and kisses. There needed to be a balance, she thought.

Since they were sitting in the back row on the balcony, she leaned her head against the wall. She stayed like that for a long time before the start of the concert was announced. Luna wanted to stand and cheer but it wouldn't be appropriate for a classical setting.

Everyone clapped when Rey was introduced and as he entered the stage, Cagalli and Shinn put a stop to their disagreement. The three songs he played were upbeat, different from the usual pieces. Meyrin recognized them as Beethoven's pieces.

Applause filled the theatre as soon as the boy finished, bowed and walked off the stage, allowing room for another player. Cagalli almost jumped and shouted Nicol's name but resisted, remembering she wasn't going to embarrass him…or the other three for that matter.

She closed her eyes and smiled when Nicol started playing; it was a song he had trouble with during middle school.

_"What should it be about? Death, joy? __Augh__!"_

Cagalli wasn't able to help him much since she wasn't an aspiring musician like him but she pushed him in Shani's direction. The lyrics the older boy offered contained words nobody knew he knew. They were about death and violence, of course and Nicol took them half-heartedly.

The tune was good enough, Cagalli thought, lyrics weren't needed. It alternated between high and low pitch frequently; Rey's did so as well but not as often.

After two hours of the two boys playing, they came out to the stage together where two pianos awaited them. Nodding at each other, they sat and started playing.

It was a soft tune, with jumps in the pitch. Rey used the low toned keys while Nicol played with the high toned ones. The music was smooth, the timing correct and the emotions set as though the two practiced for months.

Shinn felt peaceful and relaxed. It seemed like anything he did wouldn't matter. He glanced at his blonde companion with daring eyes. Maybe it was time for her to know how he really felt…

He leaned in towards her and pushed away the hair from the back of her neck and rested his hand there. The sudden touch sent chills down Cagalli's spine. She gazed at him, wondering what he was planning.

His eyes locked on to hers then moved down to her lips before looking in her eyes again. Shinn inched closer to her, placing pressure in his hand to bringing her closer. Cagalli blinked as he closed his eyes and tilted his head.

She imitated him and soon, their lips met.

They were lost in the sea of people standing up to clap for the two performers. They didn't hear any noise; they vanished in their own quiet world.

* * *


End file.
